The Nitty-Gritty - A Practical Change Management Approach

Over the last few newsletters I've rambled on about change management in the public sector. I've written about the need to have a vision of success and the fact that most change initiatives fail due to the lack of establishing a vision that engages staff in the change process.

So, having beaten this dead horse sufficiently to establish that top-down, hierarchically-driven change rarely works in the public sector, let's talk about how to do it right - a practical change management approach for the public sector.

Step 1: Create the change management support structure. Get clear on the governance, scope, roles, responsibilities, reporting and communication requirements for this change initiative. How and by whom will proposed changes be selected, analyzed, and approved?

Step 2: Select your team(s). Based on the preceding, create cross-functional,
cross-representational teams, with
consideration for types of teams needed, skill sets, e.g. HR, IT,
other support functions as required. I say 'teams' because you most
likely will want an 'executive team' supporting the initiative and providing feedback on deliverables, and one or more working 'tiger teams' to conduct project tasks.

One important early task for your teams is to establish the vision for the changed organization i.e. what
would faster, cheaper processes with higher quality, more cohesiveness, and fewer non-value-added activities look like?

Step 3: Research. Your teams need
to understand how the current processes and mechanisms were
developed and how they currently function.This may include such tasks as:

Conduct a document review

Analysis of performance data

Stakeholder consultations

Your teams need to establish and/or validate work flows as they really are in the current organization.

Your teams should also be on the alert for sources of 'pain' in the current processes. If there is something
'everyone knows' is a problem, this might be a good candidate for further analysis.

Step 4: Analysis and Recommendations.
Your working team(s) need to develop and flesh-out options for change, and explore ramifications with a
view of ensuring processes remain flexible and adaptable to future
requirement. Team tasks will include

Step 5: Implementation. Depending on the governance and approval requirements established in Step 1, your teams will present the change matrix to senior management for approval/selection/prioritization.

A quick aside here, this change management approach differs from the top-down,
hierarchically-driven model because, while the executive is directing
the 'what', the teams are deciding the 'how'.This makes all the difference in acceptance of change.

Once a particular initiative gains approval, your teams will (or certainly should) plan a pilot implementation, to test the solution and resolve issues before final roll-out. Your pilot management plan should include:

Project timeline, scope and deliverables

Communication/orientation and
training for pilot participants

Post-pilot evaluation

One of the key things to remember here is that pilot tests are expected to find problems. Your teams take the lessons learned from pilot testing and develop a roll-out plan for wider
implementation.

Step 6: Rinse and repeat. Each subsequent change initiative will follow the change management
approach and be supported by the same change management structure. Build on success, learn from failure, make necessary changes to the change management approach itself based on what you have learned, and launch the next one.

By the way, it's a good idea to make the first one a 'quick hit' so the process gets established and the teams can celebrate a success. Low-hanging fruit tastes just as sweet.

Drop me a line to discuss bringing this change management approach to your organization. You can reach me at 613 302-3924 or Scott@public-sector-performance.com.

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